CIHI Report shows encouraging progress in surgical wait times in Nova Scotia

HALIFAX, N.S. - A new Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) report on wait time performance shows Nova Scotia is making meaningful progress reducing surgical wait times for key procedures — tying for first place in the country for cataract surgeries and ranking in the top three for hip and knee joint replacements and hip fracture repairs completed within benchmarks.

The 2024 CIHI findings highlighted year-over-year improvements in these areas, signalling the province’s many surgical access investments and initiatives are paying off.

“We are committed to building a system that delivers timely, effective and patient centred care,” said the Honourable Michelle Thompson, Nova Scotia’s Minister of Health and Wellness. “We’re proud of this momentum and will keep pushing forward to ensure every Nova Scotian gets the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”

According to CIHI:

• Nova Scotia led the country on cataract surgery access, with 83 per cent of patients receiving surgery within the 112-day wait times target in 2024 – up 15 per cent from the previous year.
• Nova Scotia ranked third in Canada for the percentage of patients receiving hip and knee joint replacements within the 182-day (26-week) benchmark:
  • 64 per cent of patients had hip replacements within the benchmark — up from 53 per cent the previous year.
  • 57 per cent of patients had knee replacements within the benchmark — up from 47 per cent the previous year.
• 86 per cent of patients had hip fractures repaired within the 48-hour national benchmark — better than the Canadian average of 83 per cent.
• Nova Scotia restored or exceeded service volumes for most procedures covered by the CIHI report when compared to pre-COVID volumes (2019-20 fiscal year).

This progress is mirrored in Nova Scotia Health’s overall data related to surgical access. For the past three years Nova Scotia Health teams have provided more patients with the surgeries they need, decreased the wait lists for these services and delivered more surgeries to Nova Scotians within wait time targets.

“When we set out to clear pandemic backlogs and improve access to care, we knew it wasn’t enough to do more procedures,” said Cindy Connolly, senior director of Nova Scotia Health’s Perioperative (Surgical) Services Network. “To achieve and maintain the results Nova Scotians need, we’re finding ways to better manage and coordinate these services.”

In 2022, Nova Scotia Health initiated a multi-year plan to improve access to surgeries, along with endoscopy procedures and diagnostic imaging services. Three years in, the results and trends are encouraging.

Nova Scotia Health data highlights:

• Volumes - 57,304 patients had scheduled surgeries in 2024-25, up 13 per cent compared to pre-COVID (50,666) and about 2,500 more than last year (2023-2024).
• On April 1, Nova Scotia Health’s surgical waitlist was at a record 10-year low (15,769) — down 33 per cent from the 23,644 patients waiting at the start of the pandemic (2019-20).
• The average surgical wait time for all surgeries completed was at a five-year low of 108 days in fiscal 2024-25 compared to 115 days in fiscal 2019-20.
• Surgical long waiters (waiting > 365 days) decreased by 1,600 (2023-24 vs. 2024-25).

“These results are due to the hard work of our teams and important changes like our move to electronic referrals, more coordinated booking approaches, key partnerships with Halifax Vision and other investments and innovations,” said Connolly. “Transforming access to care, from the time of referral to recovery, is helping us deliver more Nova Scotians the quality care they need sooner.”

For more information on Nova Scotia Health's efforts to transform surgical access and care go to: https://www.nshealth.ca/transforming-surgical-access-and-care

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